To Touch a Star
by Michaela-Yakiyna
Summary: An elf is kidnapped by slavers. This is the story of her journey home and of finding her place in Middle Earth. LegolasOC.
1. Indroduction

It was a dark and stormy night; the kind of night so dark that you can't see your hand in front of your face. Two sisters were hotfooting it home through the two feet of snow that was piling higher as the night grew chillier. And suddenly they found their feet in mid air swirling like Dorothy in her uprooted house. The next thing they knew, they had landed in a bright, sunlit courtyard surrounded by strange people dressed all in green with bows and arrows pointed threateningly at them. And behind them was... what the crap! Why is Legolas doing the can-can!

Just kidding folks. Unless you want to see Legolas pulling a move... Which in hindsight wouldn't be too bad ... but those thoughts are for later.

Disclaimer: We don't own this- but it would be cool if we did! ;) Also, we are not schizophrenic and have never talked to the voices in our heads out loud... (but I'm not saying anything about arguing with them in private). Flame us... have a great time. passes out marshmallows and sticks in anticipation Want one?

On we go...

_PS. Italics are thoughts. And the asterisks lead to a dictionary for weird elvish terms..._

Preface

It was a dark and stormy night. The trees swayed with brutal force, whipping leaves into the faces of the silent travelers. Rocks littered the mountain path threatening a landslide with each howl of thunder. The crash of lightning revealed their haven, their only hope, surrounded by slinking shadows.

Cuthaliel closed her eyes for the briefest moment and sent a prayer to Elbereth, clutching her small child tight. If only a mother's fear could be used to beat back their foes. If only the apparitions would melt with the rain. To have safety so close, yet unattainable was unbearable. _Please Lady, for the sake of my dearest child, my Silwen, let us get through. _

Alas, it was not to be. A shower of black arrows announced the identity of the beings blocking the path to safety. Cuthaliel gave a cry before moving behind some of her loyal compatriots. The several women in their caravan were pushed together and surrounded by fellow Elvish archers. At least they had the gift of superior eyesight to aid them.

The darkness around them was broken only by flashes of lightning, one so close and so large that it looked to her as if the Valar had descended from on high. Indeed, a flash of silver with strange lights encircling its breadth could be seen in the distance, in a clearing in front of their haven.

Her attention was brought back to the problem at hand when a scream of death came from a warrior just behind her. It seemed that the orcs surrounded them on every side, and were determined to take them all to Mandos.

Her companions were falling fast now. A cry of "There are too many!" could be heard from several of the remaining warriors. The shower of arrows was broken only by what appeared to be shafts of red lightening striking down anyone who strayed in their path.

In a last effort to save the ellyth, the warriors cleared a path to the forest, focusing their attack on those orcs blocking them from the thinnest section of pine. The women were pressed into the apparent safety of the trees and soon found themselves running through the underbrush. They used their natural elvish grace to silently creep toward the haven, essentially closer to the strange shining object. A crack in the underbrush suddenly alerted the women to another presence, but blue energy circles enveloped the group. They hit the forest floor unconscious without a second thought.

* * *

Donavan Starstriker glanced at the females littering the leaf strewn clearing and smirked. "Come on, you lazy slobs! Get those wenches onboard the ship. We don't want to have to shoot more of those hutt-ugly creatures!" he cried while checking to be sure that the stun bolts had worked.

"There must be 10 of them here," came a jovial shout from the other end of the clearing. "We'll be able to get enough credits to buy Coruscant after this lot is sold!"

"Stop your chatter and haul, you son of a sith harlot!" Starstriker shouted again, while privately agreeing with his Bothan second-in-command. This lot was beyond beautiful. Slaves brought a much larger price at market when they were this enjoyable to see.

"Alright, I'm going. This is the last one, anyway. We can leave once we put her and the useless child into the holding cells." The furry spacer's grumbles faded as he threw a woman over his shoulder and turned toward the ship. "Keep your flight suit on."

"Those men are starting to move in" another of the pirates informed him. "Can we get out of here? I don't want to get another blasted arrow in my..."

"Hehehe! That's what you get for sticking your rear-end up in the middle of a fight," came an uncourteous reply from Donavan as they boarded the ship and prepared to lift off. "Alright, set course for Tatooine. We'll find a good market there."

* * *

Thoughts, complaints? We love opinions. We also love spell check! (No, that's just my sister, Mike. I can actually spell when I think about it). Okay. That's true. Sherman is the spelling Goddess.

Elbereth: the female half of a deity pair. Equivalent to a goddess.

Valar: More Elvish Gods. This is a collective term, like unto "Olympians" in Ancient Greece.

Mandos: The Halls of the Dead. flash of light and evil laughter

Ellyth: Female elves (providing this was used right...)


	2. Going, Going, Gone

K, Kids (provided anyone is reading this) Here is another short chapter. Sorry for the short chapters. This is kindof a post it as we write it type thing.

Disclaimer: Tolkien is the King.

**Chapter 2**

The next thing Cuthaliel knew, she was being prodded by someone. The harsh lighting bouncing off of strange metallic walls prevented her from seeing who her captor was clearly, but it could not immediately hide her shackled hands.

"Wake up, wench! It's time to get going. The auction starts in 30 minutes, and we will be late if you don't get up now." Her captor was getting clearer as her eyes adjusted to the unnatural illumination. He seemed impatient about something, but so far hadn't told her anything except that they were late. Cuthaliel took her time moving, hoping to find a way out, but there seemed to be none.

"Don't make me force you or I'll take it out on this pretty little girl of yours!" the Bothan second-in-command said. He was still a little bit sore from his arrow wound, and in no mood to mess around. It had been hard enough to keep all of the women unconscious for the trip without harming them. He didn't want to have to hurt them now, when it was so close to the auction time. The better condition they were in, the more money Starstriker would get. And Donavans happiness generally meant that everyone else ended up better off later.

Seeing no choice but to cooperate, Cuthaliel decided to follow the captor, who was upon inspection found to have cream colored fur, and her precious daughter in his arms. The later realization had brought more cooperation than anything the man had said to her. She had never seen anything like him before her imprisonment. He resembled the men of Southern Gondor, only without ears and covered in fur...

Her reverie was cut short when they came to what appeared to be an exit. The sun was shining outside, and she could feel the heat radiating off of the sands that seemed to go as far as the eye could see.

She came to a stop as she saw something that puzzled her even more than the fur-man had. _What is that thing? It looks like a wagon floating in mid-air! _These thoughts were cut short as well when someone shoved her from behind and forced her onto the strange wagon.

"Alright, Starstriker, that's the last of them. Let's get going!" shouted a man to her right. With this, the wagon started to move over the sands towards a town that was now visible on the horizon. The buildings blended in with the eternal sands. They were made of some kind of sandstone or perhaps a form of adobe brick, although how these people would have gotten the water for adobe she could not fathom. There were no rivers or lakes as far as her Elven eyes could see, only a canyon that could have been carved from a river at some point.

Cuthaliel's attention was soon drawn to a sizable group of people gathered on the outskirts of town. There was a platform near the front of the group, and there were many men there holding some strange black things she could only assume were weapons.

To her horror, the wagon drew to a stop behind the platform. Slavers! They were going to be sold like cattle! The men surrounded their wagon and began to lead the shackled elves into a long line of others. All the others wore rags and walked as though the world rested between their shoulder blades. Cuthaliel was driven toward the line of people, along with the other women. It seemed fate was against them yet again as a guard noticed the beauty of her and her companions. They were moved to the beginning of the line, and Cuthaliel was soon at the platform, waiting for her turn to be sold.

"Is there no way out of this?" one of her companions inquired from behind her.

"No, there is not. We are doomed to be slaves, but we do not have to be slaves forever. Our lives are lost, we cannot find our way home, and my daughter will be taken from me. I have nothing to live for without her. I will not let them have me forever. Death will be our only release now." Cuthaliel said while trying to hide the pain in her voice.

But then it was her turn. She was forced onto the platform by several of the men. The crowd now facing her jeered and made cat-calls. She had never before been treated with such disrespect. Talk of her beauty and the luck of the man that won her could be heard from several people. After much shouting and arguments, and one bloody nose, Cuthaliel was presented to her new master. His face was hard, as he unclasped her hands. It was then that she pulled back from him and began running towards her daughter, who could be seen next in line.

She was intercepted by the crowd before reaching her goal, but not before running into a cloaked figure that whispered into her ear. "Peace, lady. The force is strong with your daughter," came the feminine voice. Cuthaliel stopped struggling and looked into the woman's blue eyes. "I will see to it that she is taken care of. You have nothing to fear. She will not suffer your fate."

"Thank you," was all Cuthaliel could manage to get out before she was carried away, never to be seen or heard from again.

True to her word, the cloaked lady bought Silwen. It cost her quite a bit of money, but it was worth it. This child was exceptionally strong. She would make a great jedi one day.

* * *

Silwen was frightened, and she just wanted her mother. She was literally thrown onto a platform by a fuzzy man. People started shouting in a language that sounded like the human traders that frequently meant with her father. What was going on? Why was that cloaked person making such a fuss? Whatever the people where fighting about seemed to be solved, and the cloaked figure approached her. Silwen cried out and tried to run away, but mean men made her go to the person. She was picked up and carried to another strange metal bowl-shaped thing.

Once they were inside the thing, Silwen was set on her feet. She soon found that the cloaked figure was a woman. Silwen looked into her eyes and decided that she was alright. She felt good, not like those men who had taken her mother away from her.

"My, you certainly are talented! I've never met a young one that could read minds so readily with no training! My name is Jedi Master Nomi Sunrider, and I'm going to teach you," Nomi said while looking at the child.

Silwen just stared at her. If the women was trying to talk, why didn't she speak her language instead of the trader's words that she was using. Thinking to start the conversation off on the right foot she said, "Im Silwen Beridianiel."

"Oh, my! You can't speak basic. Well that complicates things. Silwen, wasn't it? What a pretty name! I'm Nomi."

* * *

I am Silwen daughter of Beridian (her father). 


	3. Hope

**CHAPTER 2**

"Concentrate, child. Take a deap breath. Feal it fill every corner of your being and take your worries up in its flow. Allow your thoughts to leave with your breath. Calm your emotions. This is not the same storm that stole you from your home. You must be at peace. I know that your loss hurts, but your mother is always with you, child. She is a part of the force," Master Sunrider instructed.

Silwen lowered the stun rod she was holding and tried to follow her masters instructions. Perhaps if she did, the pain of losing her parents would go away. After all, Master had said that her mother was a part of the force. Didn't that make her a part of Silwen as well? Wherever her mother was, she was sure that she was now happy.

Silwen took the deap, cleansing breath as instructed. She felt her worries of family, home, and loss melt away as the snow in early spring. The sound rain against the window began to fade. It was at that moment that she noticed the threads of force surrounding her. Through closed eyes they appeared to weave around life, like little silver stars dragging soft fire around everyone in their wake. One in particular drew her attention. It weaved and bobbed directly infront of her vision, as if begging her to take hold of it. With one more breath, she let go of herself and allowed the silver tendril to fill her vision._ She saw a great green forest pushed up against dark mountains. There were many people celebrating under the trees, people with pointy ears like herself._

_The vision sifted to two people at the front of the group. One of them was a tall elf with deep blue eyes and golden hair. He was dressed all in green and was wearing a crown of leaves. The other appeared to be Silwen herself, fully grown. Her deep red hair was woven into a complex pattern, her own crown of flowers pulling her gold highlights into prominent view. Her baby blue eyes matched the silky gown she was wearing. As she watched, she saw herself and the tall elf kissing, and the crowd cheered._

The vision passed, taking the threads of light with it, and Silwen found herself back in the room with her master. "Master, I must tell you about what I have just seen!" No answer came. Perplexed, Silwen looked around. Her master lay on the floor, eyes closed, no breath disturbing her body. She was dead. Silwen colapsed onto the stone floor, silently crying for the woman that had been far closer to her than the mother she had lost years ago.

* * *

The storm still raged outside. A crowd of somber jedi were gathered around a bier underneath a pavilion to keep out the rain. They were here to respect Master Sunrider, who had joined the waves of the force only hours before. The weather seemed to match Silwen's mood. She was not yet a full Jedi, and now she had no master.

The Jedi Council said many things about Master Sunrider's accomplishments, but Silwen did not hear them. She was only thinking about her master. She had learned much. Not many elves at her age had this much wisdom. She had lost her childhood long before normal Elven children were even considered adults. They playing without a care underneath the stars and trees. Why had this happened to her? What was Iluvatar trying to teach her? Surely there must be a reason.

As the bier was set on fire, Silwen found herself on the wings of another vision. _Thunder and lightning shown all about a small glade. It was burning in spite of the heavy rain. Dark figures surrounded the glade on all sides. They were shouting and seemed to be attacking two forms._

_Her perspective suddenly shifted. She was in the center of the glade. She was firing arrows frantically at the surrounding creatures. As fast as she was, the numbers of the enemy never seemed to lessen. Her vision blurred with exhaustion as the batten went on. More and more vicious monsters came at her and her companion. Soon her companion collapsed. He had been shot by archers that were among the new comers. Weary as she was, she could not stop them all. She got 2 of them before she, too had been pierced._

_Quickly, the surrounding figures rushed into the glade. The gleefully surrounded their prey in a tight circle. A man in all white robes came into the glade and approached the creatures._

"_Let me past," he said as he shoved the creatures through. "Well, your Highness. I have caught you at last. Have you not wondered why you were attached every time you left your father's golden halls? You and your friend will die. Know, before you do, that the future dies with you. I have seen it. Without you two, Middle Earth will fall to my master's rule. I shall stand at his right hand and rule over your pathetic people. Farewell, Prince."_

_The man drew a deadly sword from his side as he spoke. Upon bidding the prince farewell, he drove it downward into his body. _

The vision faded just as Silwen screamed in pain. The bier was once again in front of her. The fire had started to die down, and the rain had stopped. Only one jedi remained in the pavilion. It was Master Cyphus, of the Jedi Council. She quickly performed a Jedi calming technique to calm her nerves.

"Master? How long have I been standing here?" Silwen inquired as her adrenaline rush began to fade.

"Nearly 3 hours child. What did you see?" Master Cyphus asked.

"The reason I was taken from my home," she replied. She had discovered her purpose at last. She felt that it was her duty to save the two men she had seen in the glade. Or were they men? Now that she thought on it, she could not recall seeing the face of one. The other was a tall man with dark hair. His cloths were tattered and dirty. The mystery figure had been wearing green, but she could not remember his face. He had been a prince, that much she knew, but a prince of what? Only time would tell.

"Be that as it may, I have come to tell you a decision made by the council. You have told us your people are immortal. We feel it would be best for you to remain unknown to the galaxy, for the safety of you and the galaxy. Should your gift be discovered, the Jedi order itself will be at stake. You are gifted with foresight. You will remain in the Jedi temple and teach those who have the most potential with seeing. You will only be known by those select students and whomever is a member of the council. I understand you have a great love of nature, correct?" Master Cyphus asked.

"Yes, Master. I could not survive without being around plants. They give me comfort. I understand your decision, and I will abide by it. I only regret that I will not be able to see the stars. I shall miss them," Silwen said.

"You need not be parted from the stars, young one. We can have a group of technicians stimulate day and night in the garden we have prepared for you. It will not be difficult," Master Cyphus replied with a smile.

The two entered the Jedi temple. Silwen was shown her new home in the depths of the temple and elevated to the rank of Jedi Knight. While modestly decorated, the rooms were comforting. Her first student was waiting there for her, even though she had been made Knight only seconds before. She greeted her student with a smile. It was time to pass on the things she had learned from Master Sunrider to this young boy.

* * *

The little button is calling you. You want to tell me what you think of the change. You KNOW you do... 


	4. Silwen's Students

Look, a new chapter! It's a miracle!! As ever, I do not own anything except Silwen and her fictional students (and your mom...)

* * *

Chapter 4

Silwen greeted her new student with kindness. He was a young human boy, perhaps 9 or 10 years old if she judged correctly. The boy's dark hair was done in a single padawan braid, floating over one of his almond-shaped eyes. "What is your name, youngling?" she inquired.

"Aquile Cuvette, Master. I heard you were trained by Master Sunrider. Is that true? She was the greatest Jedi Master in the order!" The boy responded.

"Yes, indeed, young one. She was very kind to me. She was like a mother to me. I shall forever be in her debt for rescuing me from slavers when I was a child. How I miss her. Yet, Aquile, the ones that we care for are never truly gone. They are now one with the force. They are all around us, watching over us. Remember that." Silwen said.

Aquile blinked and stared at her. She must have known that he was thinking of how much he missed his mother. He had only been with the order for 2 years, and he missed his family greatly. He had been given over to the care of the order when his mother was murdered over 2 years ago. The Jedi who had been sent to inspect the murder scene had sensed his force abilities. His father had too many children to care for, and was greatful to the order for taking him in. That meant that his father would have enough money to care for his two sisters and brother, who were not force-sensitive. Thinking of his mother watching over him, he smiled. She was not gone. She was here, watching him train to become a Jedi Seer. She would be proud of him. He would see to that. "Thank you, Master. I did not realize that you missed someone, too. My mother was murdered two years ago. I know that she is watching me. I want to become a great Jedi.. I want to learn everything that you know!" Aquile said with fervor. He finally felt like he belonged in the order, and all because of what his master had said. He knew that he would learn much from this lady, for indeed she was too beautiful to call anything else.

Silwen was now 50 years old. She was watching her first student, Aquile, being made into a Jedi Master. How quickly the years had past! Her first student was now 29, one of the youngest masters in the order. His first Padawan, Galvin, was waiting for his knighthood ceremony. Aquile had become a Jedi knight on his 19th birthday. He had been given a 10-year-old padawan immediately after. Silwen, too, had trained another student in that time. The two new Jedi were going to be very close. She could feel that her last padawan, Tyria, was going to be a great part of Galvin's life. _Silwen was found herself in the healer's quarters. Galvin and Tyria were embracing, holding a baby boy between them. Suddenly, she found herself staring at the two jedi years later, with a 10-year-old boy standing between them. They were giving the boy to Silwen to train._

After the vision had closed, Silwen knew that she would not have another student until the boy she had seen was old enough to train. She would spend the next 10 years alone, and yet not alone. She knew that her students would keep in touch. They cared for her as she had cared for Nomi, as a child loves their mother.

* * *

The years passed in much the same manner. She did not always have a student, but she was not alone. She was called upon frequently for advice from Jedi that she had trained. Often, the asked her to look into the future to give them council for certain actions they were going to make. Yet, the only ones who knew of her were the 12 Jedi Masters on the council and her former, or current, students. It was lonely on occasion, but whenever she felt the most alone, she remembered the elf from her vision and the wedding she had seen underneath the trees.

* * *

Millennia later, Silwen was introduced to her next student. He was a queer-looking creature. He was no more than 1½ feet tall. He had ears with points bigger than Silwens'. He was green all over and had brown eyes and short, white hair done into a small padawan braid. He seemed to speak in backwards sentences. Yet for all of the oddities, she could feel that he was the most important Jedi she would ever train. 

He would be her last student. She knew, somehow, that she would leave after he was knighted. Perhaps they would discover her home planet. She had heard from one of her students that the Republic was exploring the arms of the galaxy. They were especially interested in the area past the planet Bakura. Perhaps they would find Middle Earth at last.

Shaking herself out of her reflections, she focused on the small padawan. "You have much potential, young one. I can sense that you will be the greatest Jedi that I have ever trained, and believe me, after as many Jedi as I have trained, that is saying something. Your name is Yoda, correct?"

"Yoda I am, Master. Honored I am to be trained by you. Stories of greatness have the Council told me of your padawans. Know I do not why chosen for your padawan I have been. Confused I am. Tell me why can you?" He asked.

"I felt your importance when you first came into the room. You will be a great Jedi Master, and you will be the one that the order will come to for guidance in the future. My time here is waning. Soon I will be returning to my home. I sense that much will happen there before many years have passed. You have the abilities to take my place. No, do not discredit yourself. I can see the doubt in your eyes. I have seen it. Although, remember, young Yoda, the future is always in motion. All depends on you. If you do not become what I have foretold, all will fall. The Jedi Order will fall. My home planet will succumb to darkness. The galaxy will be lost in evil forever. I cannot guide the Jedi through what will come to pass. They will need a public figure. I cannot be that. It would present much danger to my people and to the Jedi. You must work to become what I have seen, or all is lost," Silwen said while staring deeply into Yoda's eyes. He silently nodded to her, signaling that he understood. He would work hard to fulfill his Master's vision not because he wanted to be great, but because the future of the galaxy and home that he loved depended on him.

* * *

"Focus, young one. Clear all of your thoughts. Do not worry about the trials which approach you. Focus only on the peace that the force brings. Let it calm you. Let it guide you to strange places..." 

_Yoda found himself looking at the planet Bakura. Suddenly, he found himself looking at a map of the Bakura arm of the galaxy. A path seemed to appear before his eyes. It led him to a small planet in a yellow-sun system. It was the only inhabitable planet in the system. The planet was a wash of blues and greens covered with clouds. His vision brought him closer to one of the continents. It was in the northern hemisphere of the planet. He saw many lands laid out before him. One section of the planet brightened in his view, closer to the northern part of the land. There was a great, dark wood laid out before him. Near it was a lake, with a river leading to it from a lonely mountain in the plain. He saw two weary wanderers traveling by the lake. They approached nearer the woods and the trees loomed ever closer._

The vision faded before the figures entered the fringes of the woods. He related to Master Silwen what he had seen. She replied, "It is time. You have seen the path to my home. I must leave. I will go tomorrow. I have no doubt that you will pass the trials tonight. I regret that I will not be able to attend your knighthood ceremony. One of the council will cut your braid." Before she could say more, the door to their suite came open. Twelve Jedi Masters, all of the council, stood outside the door. "We are ready. However, I will need transportation. My time here is ended. Young Yoda will take my place. I have no doubt that he will fill my place well. Can a ship be made available for me in the morning?" Silwen asked.

"It will be done, Master Silwen. Shall we proceed with the trials?" The head of the council said.

Nearly two hours later, Silwen and Yoda were back at their suite. Yoda had passed the trials. On the following eve, he would be granted the rank of Jedi Knight. They silently shook hands and parted. There would be no goodbyes or empty words. Both knew that the time would come. Yoda would indeed greatly miss his Master, but he would follow in her footsteps. He would ever strive to become the great Jedi that she had foreseen. As for Silwen, she had bid many students goodbye. She would watch him from afar. She knew that it was time at last to go home, and she could not find it in her heart to feel any sorrow at being parted from her greatest student. He would do well, and would guide the Jedi through the hard times ahead with wisdom and honor.

* * *

A blue button there is at the bottom. Push it you should. Not much time will it take (A/N: It is not easy to write in Yoda-speak.) 


End file.
